Acknowledgements; Part I. Sources: 1. Grassroots from the top down; 2. Defining the field and its implications; 3. The formation of a grassroots industry; Part II. Structure: 4. Methods for mobilizing the public; 5. Corporate grassroots; 6. Outsourcing advocacy? Consulting for associations; Part III. Outcomes: 7. Participatory and policy impacts; 8. Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography.
This book examines how elite consultants are reshaping democracy by helping corporations and powerful advocacy groups to mobilize grassroots participation.
Edward T. Walker is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His scholarly interests include social movements, organizations, public participation, and the political mobilization of firms and industries. His research has been published in the American Sociological Review, the American Journal of Sociology, Social Problems, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Business and Society, and has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Sociological Association. His commentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post and Contexts magazine.
'Using a mix of sociological and political science literature and
sophisticated methodology, Walker provides numerous cases studies
and empirical evidence that many seemingly citizen-initiated
campaigns are really orchestrated by funding from corporations and
interest groups seeking to benefit … The examples and data are
current and help 'pull back the curtain' to expose a political
marketplace in which many ideas and measurements of support receive
significant subsidies. The next time an advocate says 'the people
have spoken', some skepticism should emerge … Summing up:
recommended.'Endorsements - A New History S. E. Frantzich,
Choice
'Walker's focus on a specific set of actors playing a specific role
in the political process enables him to make meaningful policy
assessments and recommendations. His advice on how to strengthen
and enforce existing laws, especially those related to financial
disclosure are both insightful and practical, not to mention
possible if citizens can press their legislators to adopt them. In
this way, his book deploys solid empirical social science in a way
that contributes constructively to political discourse. In an age
of big money campaigns and facile political cynicism, Walker's book
offers a refreshing reminder that citizens still have an important
role to play.' Mobilization
'This book offers an important theoretical contribution to social
movement theory and political sociology more generally.' Brayden G.
King, Social Forces
'Walker's book is a must-read for anyone interested in changing
patterns of collective action in the twenty-first century.'
Interest Groups and Advocacy
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